'Transformers' comics called for by fans

A fan petition has called for IDW Publishing to revisit Marvel's Transformers universe.

Following news that writer Simon Furman is interested in reviving the comic series, fan sites including Transformer World and Seibertron started up the campaign.

"It's a great feeling to think that there's this huge groundswell of support for the continuation of a series that is now 20 years old," Furman told Newsarama.

"Clearly, we must have been doing something right back then. But my experience with Transformers comics fans, across countless conventions, discussion forums and feedback on my blog, is that they're just incredibly devoted and loyal to those original stories, storylines and characters."

Marvel's Transformers ran for 80 issues between 1984 and 1991. Artwork on its final arc was handled by Andrew Wildman, who also backed an IDW revival via his blog.

Responding to a Twitter post about the petition, IDW editor-in-chief Chris Ryall said: "If you can get the petition to 10,000 signatures/pre-orders, I'll give you an exclusive cover for issue #81."